Quarterback Matt Schaub was desperate to pass to Johnson who was practically wearing Quin. After several pump fakes, Schaub gave up on the pass and was chased out of bounds by defensive end Connor Barwin.

Quin's tight coverage every day in practice against last season's most productive passing combination in the NFL has coaches believing he can become a shutdown cornerback in the league.

"He's bringing a lot of smarts to the table this season," Texans defensive coordinator Frank Bush said. "And he always goes unnoticed at practice, which means he's doing a great job."

A year ago, Quin was a fourth-round pick out of New Mexico. He took the starting left cornerback position from Fred Bennett in Week 4 against Oakland.

"At first, everything is coming at you like a whirlwind," Quin said. "Your head starts spinning and things start running together. But I just wanted to prove to my teammates that I was accountable. Whatever the team asked me to do, I was willing to do to help us win."

In his first start, the defense made a dramatic turnaround. After allowing an average of 436.3 yards of offense in the first three games, the defense allowed only 165 yards in the 29-6 victory. In his debut, Quin not only proved to his teammates but to offenses around the league that he was a serious presence opposite veteran cornerback Dunta Robinson.

In his rookie season, Quin was targeted by quarterbacks 80 times and never allowed a touchdown. Denver's Champ Bailey was the only other regularly starting cornerback in the NFL to accomplish such a feat. Robinson was targeted 83 times and allowed four touchdowns. Quin also led the Texans with 11 passes deflected.

"He had a year to go through the fire, and now, he spent the offseason really taking care of his body, getting in great condition," Bush said. "Because of that hard work, he's looking really sharp right now."

Quin has made his presence felt around camp this month. He has shown the quickness and concentration to play conservatively and gamble at the same time.

Curiosity has always been his nature. While riding out Hurricane Katrina in his home state of Mississippi, he watched the storm make landfall from the second-floor window of a home instead of playing it safe with the rest of his family in the basement.

Battling the best

With the departure of Robinson, Quin is the anchor of a young secondary. Quin has helped first-round pick and fellow starter Kareem Jackson adjust to the fast-paced NFL passing game. Quin told Jackson that experience is the best teacher, and he expects him to learn that firsthand this season.

"He's coming along and growing up every day," Quin said. "I just try to tell him some of the things I went through and some of the things I've learned and how I've tried to figure out how to survive out there on the island."

Quin has proved he's ready to take on the elite receivers of the NFL this season. Of the nine leaders in receiving yardage last season after Johnson, Quin covered four of them in his rookie year. He'll face four of the others this season. If he survives that brutal welcoming to the league, he will earn the respect coaches believe he deserves as a shutdown corner.

No gliding allowed

Quin still plays in camp like he did as a rookie, battling receivers like he has something to prove.

"If you're not fighting to move up the depth chart, you're fighting to stay on top," Quin said. "I don't feel like I can just glide through and the job is mine. I'm fighting to help this team have better pass coverage — simple as that."